Diplomats from the United States Mission to the United Nations (UN) walked out of a UN Security Council meeting in protest during the speech of the French representative.
On Monday, diplomats from the U.S. Permanent Mission to the UN left the Security Council chamber while the French representative was addressing the Council. Throughout France’s statement, the seats reserved for the U.S. delegation remained empty, with the diplomats returning to the chamber once the speech had concluded.
The protest was reportedly triggered by a post published on the social media platform X by France’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva.
The dispute began following a vote on extending the four-year mandate of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. During the vote held at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States and Russia voted against extending Türk’s mandate, while France supported the measure. Following the vote, French diplomats posted on X, stating, “The United States was once a beacon of human rights, but it no longer is.”
Speaking after the protest, U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dan Negrea explained the reason behind the walkout:
“I would like to point out that there is one member of this Council that displays righteous indignation on every issue—whether it is the conflict in Ukraine that we are discussing today or matters such as human rights that are not directly related to international peace and security—and constantly seeks to lecture others. That is precisely why we walked out during France’s statement.”